As communities, we have a role to play in improving water quality. Fortunately, more and more people are realizing that this is not a task that should just be left to governments to handle. Today, it’s not uncommon to see residents in different communities gathering to discuss what can be done to prevent pollution of waterways as a way of maintaining water quality.

One of the most important aspects of promoting water quality is stormwater management. Efforts such as street sweeping, maintenance of catch basins, rain gardens, stormwater detention ponds and storm drain lines and other control practices are some of the measures that can be taken.

How Can Communities Work Together to Improve Water Quality?

1. Reducing Erosion and Soil Exposure

If there are any signs of soil erosion on your property, planting native plants would really help. This is because the roots of the plants will stabilize the soil and therefore reduce erosion. When soil sediment loads in our waterways, it affects water quality in downstream ponds, reservoirs and lakes.

2. Construction of Rain Gardens

Constructing rain gardens is a very effective way of ridding stormwater runoff of pollutants. At the same time, it helps to reduce erosion and promotes ground water recharge. What makes rain gardens even better is the fact that they are cost-effective and easy to build.

3. Regularly Cleaning Storm Drains

Removing debris that accumulates in stormwater catch basins and storm drains reduces pollution of waterways while also promoting cleaner runoff. A community can decide to have a monthly cleaning scheduled to achieve this.

4. Reducing Fertilizer Usage in Lawns

When pesticides and fertilizers are over-applied or applied just before a rainstorm, it is inevitable that our local waterways will be contaminated with chemicals. You may want to consider natural alternatives such as compositing. If you have to apply fertilizer, check the weather forecast and also read the product label.

5. Avoiding Mowing Too Close to Streams and Ponds

Trees, shrubs and tall grasses found close to streams and ponds act as a protective buffer guarding against erosion and filtering pollutants out of stormwater runoff. Mowing these areas reduces the protection.

6. Developing Stewardship Plans for the Community

A stewardship plan can help steer a community towards preservation of its natural resources. This is a great way of protecting forest habitats, open spaces and wetlands. In the long-term, the quality of water will be enhanced.

In Summary

The importance of ensuring water quality cannot be gainsaid. Clean water is absolutely essential to the overall health of communities all over the world. As a community we should always strive to ensure that water resources are protected. Failure to do this will have serious consequences on our health and that of future generations.

Storm water runoff is the product of impervious surfaces which prevent rain and snowmelt to soak into the ground naturally. The excess of water either flows into a storm water system and is then discharged into the water supply or it enters one of Chittenden County’s surface water bodies, e.g. our great Lake Champlain, the Winooski River or the Arrowhead Mountain Lake.

The effects of this extra water intake can be manifold. The different pollutants which the excess water picks up on its journey can cause additional side effects.

About Urbanization

“Urbanization dramatically alters the natural hydrologic cycle.” [1]

The more impervious areas we create, the higher the volume and rate of water runoff and the type and amount of pollutants that ends up in our surface waters. At the same time, groundwater recharge decreases, which is a problem as it reduces dry weather flows mostly in wetlands and also rivers.

When urban storm water runoff is uncontrolled, potential impacts on our environment are adverse. Channelization and erosion can lead to the destructions of aquatic habitat among other consequences.

Effects on Wetlands, Rivers, Lakes

Wetlands in particular receive large amounts of storm water due to their unique position on the landscape. They too have limited capacities for handling storm water volume including pollutants. An overload is likely to lead to dramatic alteration of the entire aquatic ecosystem.

Oil, grease, chemicals, nutrients, metals and bacteria that flow into Lake Champlain have the biggest impact on the surrounding wetlands that are a vital part of the basin’s entire ecosystem.

Potential consequences are the loss of typical plant species which get replaced by weeds and other foreign plants, increased levels of phosphorus and lead in plant tissue, and entire changes in vegetation dynamics.

The wetlands play a major role in maintaining and improving downstream water quality.[2] This is why it’s important to mitigate the impacts of runoff and pollutants that include biological, physical and chemical changes. Possible solutions are:

Diverting storm water flow around wetlands

Limiting peak flows by limiting urbanization

Treating storm water before it enters surface waters

Household Water

We must not forget that anything that enters a storm water system is usually discharged into the waterways without prior treatment – the same waterways that we use for our drinking water supply, for fishing and for recreational activities. Depending on the local industry and intensity of agriculture, dangerous pollutants can end up in the water intended for direct consumption.

As individuals there is not much that we can do to improve the quality of an entire water body or water system. We can make sure to dispose of products properly, always pick up pet waste, keep our yards clean at all times, and only use garden fertilizers/pesticides when absolutely necessary.

On a smaller scale, however, we have a great deal of influence on the quality of water that we receive and use day to day.

A whole house water filtration system cleanses all the water entering your home before it gets distributed to the various water outlets. It is recommended that you conduct a quality test before you settle for a specific type or product. With water filters, micron ratings should be your main focus.[3]

A water softener removes excessive amounts of mineral salts. These can damage pipes or tubing. Salt-based water softeners that add large amounts of sodium to water are better to be avoided.

Boiling water is an effective method for reducing volatile solutes.

Ultraviolet light filters destroy germs that originate from manure.

Effects on Aquatic Life

The major short-term and long-term[4] effects of storm water discharges and urban sediment on aquatic life include:

Lack of diversity in the aquatic community. The habitat is likely to be dominated by pollution-tolerant species, e.g. mosquitofish.[5]

Unstable water bed conditions.

Rapidly changing water flow without refuge areas to protect all the plant and animal life.

Reduction of organic debris as an important building block of refuge areas.

Accumulation of silt in both spawning and food production areas.

Vanishing riparian vegetation that leads to elevated water temperatures.

Conclusion

With increasing urbanization comes the danger of producing storm water that does not get the chance to soak into the ground. Instead the excess water enters our supply systems and surface waters, which causes overload and pollution. The consequences include an alteration or even destruction of aquatic life and entire ecosystems and an overall decrease in water quality. As individuals we can and should take specific countermeasures.

Stormwater runoff is melting snow or rain that streams over the ground.

In a natural environment, plants and soil absorb rainwater. However, in the urban world we live in today, the concrete jungles we have built alter our hydrological cycles and watersheds. Instead of the water being absorbed by plants and soil naturally, it washes over the impervious surfaces like streets, sidewalks, and driveways, creating stormwater runoff.

What Are the Consequences of Stormwater Runoff?

Stormwater runoff picks up chemicals, dirt, debris and other types of pollutants that it comes into contact with. It then flows into a storm sewer system or directly into a stream, river, lake, wetland or coastal water.

Stormwater runoff can have many adverse effects on plants, animals, fish, and even human beings. If not managed properly, it leads to:

the deposit of oil, dirt, chemicals and other pollutants into the different types of surface water

these substances can cloud the water bodies, making it hard – if not impossible – for aquatic life to grow

bacteria and other harmful pathogens may be washed into swimming areas that pose health hazards and may lead to beach closures

polluted stormwater often affects the quality of drinking water from various sources, which in turn may affect our health and increases water treatment costs

it may cause erosion and in severe cases flooding

it can cause blockages, reducing the capacity of sewer pipes to carry sanitary sewage, creating backups into basements and streets

What Are Potential Solutions?

Now that you know and understand the consequences of stormwater runoff, here are a few things we can do about it. The steps will help to reduce stormwater runoff pollution as well as the runoff itself.

Grow Rain Gardens

A rain garden is a shallow dish-like hollow in the ground that is planted with native plants and flowers. These types of gardens help to provide natural places where rainwater collects and soaks into the ground while still looking nice in your yard. Rain from paved areas and rooftops can be diverted into these gardens to soak up and infiltrate into the ground rather than being left to flow into storm drains. In addition, rain gardens also help too

protect streams and rivers

reduce the risk of home flooding

reduce mosquito breeding by eliminating standing water

Vegetated Filter Strips

Vegetated filter strips are areas where native plants or grass are grown along roadways or streams. These areas trap the pollutants that stormwater runoffs pick up along the way as it flows across streets and driveways. This helps reduce the number of stormwater runoff pollutants that reach surface waters. These strips also help to slow down runoffs, promote infiltration and decreasing downstream erosion and flooding.

Preserve Trees and Plant Some More

The root systems of trees effectively absorb water over a large area. Also, the canopy of trees helps to slow the fall of rain, allowing the ground to absorb larger amounts of water. Why not plant some trees that absorb large amounts of water in your area?

Collect Rain Water in Barrels

Instead of letting rainwater pour down from your roof, consider collecting it in mosquito-proof rain barrels. You can later use the water for your lawn or garden area.

Adopt Eco-Friendly Practices

Pick up after your pet: Pet waste that is left on sidewalks, yards, trails or streets can easily be washed into streams and area creeks. This waste adds harmful bacteria to our water making it unsafe to play or swim in. Hence, make sure to pick your pet’s waste and dispose of by throwing it in a trash can or flushing it down the toilet.

Do not dump anything down storm drains: Most people mistake storm drains as being part of the sanitary sewer system that flows to wastewater treatment plans. Truth is, storm drains are directed to local streams, lakes, wetlands, and rivers. Hence, do not throw anything into them.

Use fertilizer and pesticides sparingly: Always follow the instructions on the products you use and use them sparingly.

Instead of using a hose, sweep your sidewalks and driveways: This will prevent pollutants being washed into the drain.

These web pages provides resources for individuals and groups that are interested in implementing rain-friendly practices at their residences in Chittenden County which will help protect our streams, rivers, and Lake Champlain.

There is great deal of information available on the Internet. We’ve tried to collect source materials that are most suitable to Vermont.

GETTING STARTED

For homeowners, a booklet produced in 2010 by the Lake Champlain Sea Grant and the Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation provides a great introduction to the topic as well as introducing some basic technologies.

As you can see the basic principle is to “slow the flow” of stormwater off your property into city/town roads through 3 types of techniques:

infiltration

storage and re-use

evapotranspiration

GREEN STORMWATER INFRASTRUCTURE [ TECHNIQUES AND TECHNOLOGIES ]

Hopefully the SeaGrant brochure whetted your appetite to learn more. Here’s an overview of the different techniques and technologies that have been developed over the years. The State of Vermont Agency of Natural Resources (ANR) categorizes these techniques as Green Stormwater Infrastructure (GSI).

Now that you’ve learned about GSI techniques, you may wish to get started with some of the simplest techniques for homeowner to “slow the flow”: rain gardens.

Rain Gardens

Rain gardens are a bit more elaborate. Instead of capturing the water in a barrel, water is directed towards a shallow depression full of native plants. This keeps runoff out of streets and also beautifies one’s property. Fortunately, folks in Vermont have been thinking about this issue for a long time and have developed the Vermont Rain Garden Manual that provides details on how to build a rain garden and which plants are best suited.

WELCOME TO SMART WATERWAYS, THE CHITTENDEN COUNTY STORMWATER WEBSITE!

What is Stormwater Runoff and Why Is it a Problem? Stormwater runoff occurs when water from rain or snowmelt flows over the ground. Impervious surfaces like driveways, sidewalks, and streets prevent … Read More